Restraining and exercising mitt



April 6, 1965 J. T. PosEY RESTRAINING AND EXERCISING MITT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 13, 1962 April 6, 1965 J. T. PosEY 3,176,683

RESTRINING AND EXERCISING MITT Filed March 13. 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 7E/W 7 mf/ BY 5MM United States Patent O 3,176,683 RESTRAINING AND EXERCISING MITI' .lohn 'I'. Posey, 1739 Meadowbrook Road,

Altadena, Calif. Filed Mar. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 180,937 4 Claims. (Cl. 12S- 25) This invention relates to restraining mitts of the type used to limit the hand activity of `patients in hospitals, rest homes, and the like, and is a continuation-in-part application of my copending U.S. application Serial No. 831,302,1iled August 3, 1959, now abandoned.

The need often arises to prevent a patient from scratching, pulling out a catheter, nasal, or intravenous tube, etc., by limiting his hand activity and without causing discomfort. It is also desirable to have a mitt which can be manipulated to exercise an invalid patients arm to prevent atrophying of the muscle and Without discomfort to the patient. This invention provides a restraining mitt which meets both of these requirements.

Brieiiy, the restraining mitt of this invention comprises two sheets of material joined together to form a flat pocket shaped to iit around a patients hand. The mitt also includes a wrist portion which opens from the pocket exterior to the interior to .permit the mitt to be put on and taken olf. At least one of the sheets carries means for rigidifying the pocket portion of the mitt so it resists bending.

The presently preferred embodiment of this invention includes a soft pad around the wrist portion to permit the mitt to be firmly secured to the patients Wrist with a belt and yet remain comfortable.

In one form of the mitt, the pocket portion is made rigid by a stiff plate, preferably ofv metal, secured between two folds of cloth on the palrn Vside of the mitt. In another form of the mitt, the palm portion is made rigid by a plurality of longitudinal stiff stays disposed between two pieces of cloth on each side of the mitt. Preferably, all embodiments of the invention include holes through each of the sheets for air circulation about the patients hand while confined in the mitt, and to facilitate the attachment of an exercising cord to the mitt. The cord can be gently raised and lowered either manually or automatically by a conventional crank arrangement which operates the cord on pulleys mounted over the patient.

The mitts of the invention are usually used in pairs, and each mitt includes an adjustable restraining strap adapted to be attached to the sides of a bed or the like and adjusted to determine the desired limit of movement of the patients hands.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view, partially broken away, of one form of the mitt using a rigid plate on the palm side;

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment of the mitt using a plurality of longitudinal stays to provide the desired rigidity; and

FIG. 4 is a view taken on line 4 4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a mitt 10 includes a first or back sheet 12 of cloth or other suitable material which preferably is ilexible. The first sheet is generally fanshaped having a relatively narrow wrist portion 14 which spreads out symmetrically into a wide pocket portion 16, and is secured by stitches 1S around its edges to a second or palm sheet 2Q of identical size and shape so that a relatively llat pocket 21 is formed between the two sheets. As can be seen most clearly in FIG. 2, the wrist portions of the sheets include opposed Wrist tiaps 22, which are ICC not joined, to leave a wrist opening 24 through whichthe mitt is placed on and taken oit a patients hand.

A separate longitudinal loop 26 is lsecured to the outside of each wrist llap, and a draw belt 28 is disposed through the loops so that it can be drawn tightly `and secured by a `buckle 30 around the patients wrist.

As FIG. 2 shows best, each wrist flap includes a sponge rubber pad 32 secured to the insideof each wrist flap by a retaining panel 34 stitched to a respective Wrist ap.

A thin, at rigid metal plate 36 is secured to the palm sheet in the pocket portion of the mitt by a piece of cloth 38 stitched to the outside of the palm sheet.n

A rst set of grommets 39 are secured through openings 40 in the back sheet at the end of the pocket 21 remote from the wrist portion. A second set of grommets 41 are secured in openings 42 through the palm sheet 20, plate 36, and cloth 38 under the first set of grommets. The openings through the grommets provide ventilation within the mitt. Preferably, the grommets in the first set are each collinear with a respective grommet in the second set. This facilitates looping an exercising'cord 43 (FIG. 2) through a pair of collinear grommets.

The exercising cord is raised and lowered gently either by an attendant or else automatically by a conventional power-driven crank and pulley arrangement (not shown), The ,rigid plate supports the patients hand as the cord is lifted, and thus spreads the force over a relatively large area to provide maximum comfort for the patient. Moreover, the liexible wrist portion of the mitt permits the patients wrist to iiex as the mitt is initially lifted by the exercise cord. Thereafter, the entire arm may be gently lifted. The reverse movement occurs as the mitt is lowered so the patients entire arm may be fully exercised to prevent atrophying. Y The exercising cord may also be used to secure the patients hand for limited movement. However, preferably, an adjustable restraining strap 44 is looped through the belt 28 and adapted to be secured to the sides of a bed (not shown) in which the patient rests. The adjust` able strap includes la buckle 45 to permit the 'strap to be adjusted to any desired length to set the required limit on the movement of the patients hand. Thus, with the restraining mitt shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a patients hand can be comfortably enclosed in a mitt which can be firmly secured to the patients hand by the belt which iits around the wrist. The soft rubber pads in the wrist portion of the mitt prevent cutting and chang of the patients wrists, which often are thin and lack adequate natural protection from flesh. The rigid pocket of the mitt restrains the patient from acts with his hands which might delay his recoveryor further impair his health, and at the same time, the mitt is ventilated and exible at the wrist to provide some degree of freedom.

The restraining mitt 50 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 includes a iirst or back sheet 52 of flexible material, which is generally fan-shaped and secured by stitches 54 around its edges to a second or palm sheet 56 so that a flat pocket 58 is formed between the back and palm sheets. The narrow portion of each sheet includes a respective wrist flap 6i) to which is secured a separate respective sponge rubber pad 62 by a retaining panel 64 stitched to the inside of each wrist Hap. A belt 66 passes around the outside of the wrist flaps and is disposed in separate longitudinalloops 68 attached to the outside of each ap. The wrist flaps are not stitched together across their ends so that an opening 70 is provided to open from the exterior to the interior of the mitt pocket whereby the mitt can be put on and taken off a patients hand.

The back and palm sheets each include four longitudinal stays 72 which begin at the wrist portion and fan slightly outwardly to terminate short of the end of the mitt. VEach.longitudinal stayis kdisposed in a separate` slot 74 formed by stitches 7 6 which hold a stay panel 78 to thev inside of each sheet. A separate transverse stay S0 is held across the closed end of the mitt pocket in a transverse slot 82 formed by stitches V84 across the closed end of the mitt.

A iirst series of three grommets S6 are provided yin each of the sheets and open in tothe pocket part of the mitt at the inner ends of' the longitudinal stays. A second set of three grommets 88 are in each of the sheets and open into the mitt pocket between the transverse stay and the closed end of the mitt. Y

An adjustable restraining strap 90 is loopedfthrough the belt 66 andprovided with a buckle 92 to permit the length of thev strap to be set to 4give the desired limited movement of the patients hand. l The use of the mitt of FIGS.3 and 4 is substantially the same as that shown in FIGSgl and '2. In both cases, the mitt provides forcornfort around the patients wrist, and will bend in ,thevicinityof thewrist'to give some degree of freedom. ,'Howeyer, the pocket portions of the mitt are held sutiiciently` rigid Nso that the fingers cannot bend the pocket part ofthe mitt, thereby preventing scratching andthe removal of intravenous, catheter, and nasal tubes by the patient. At the sametime,rthe pocket is sufficiently large so `the fingers can be flexed within the pocket part of the mitt without'bending it. This reduces the feeling of coniinernent and :promotes blood circulation in the patientls hand., y As indicated previously, the mitt can be made of any suitable material, but preferably is of good quality cotton so it can be laundered'rby ordinary methods. The mitt exterior preferably has Aa' tough nish, such as duck or canvas, while the interior is` soft, such as flannel. It will falso be obvious that thesheets forming the pocket mitt can be woven integrally, or joined together in any suitable manner other than by the stitches shown in the drawing, 7 I claim:

,1. A hand-restrainingmitt for- 'a patient, the mitt comprising two sheets of material joined together around a portion of their edges to form variiat pocket part open at a wrist portion of the mitt to receive the hand of a patient, means carried by atleast one of the sheets to rigidity the pocket portionvof the said one sheet overlying the hand of the patient, the wrist portionot the sheets extending away from the pocket portion and beyond the -sad rigidifying means to leave the wrist ,portion of the mitt ilexible with respect tothe said rigidiiied pocketporf tion, the sheets each having atleast oneseparate hole through them, an exercising cord disposed'through'the holes, padding means encirclingthewrist portion ofthe mitt, a longitudinal loop securedr to the outsidetof the wrist portion, and a belt disposed through thesaidlloop' and around the outside of the padding and Wrist portionfor H securing the mitt firmly to the wrist of the patient withoutchang and to leave the wrist of the patient flexible.

2. A mitt according to claim 1 in which the'holes in thesheets are collinear. I

3. A mitt according to claim` 1 in whichthe holesare at the opposite end of the mittfrom thewristiportion.

4. A hand-restraining rnitt for avpatievng'the` mittfcom.- prising two sheets of material joinedtogetherV varounda portion of their edges to form a flatzpocket part open. at a wrist portion of the mittto receive the hand offalpatient,

-a stiff plate carried by at least one of the sheets .to rigidity the pocket portion of the said one sheet overlyingjthe hand of the patient, the wrist portion of the sheets extend,- ing. away from the pocket portion and beyond Vthe plate to leave the wrist portion of the mitt flexible with respect to the said rigidied. pocket portion, the sheets and plate each'having at least one separate hole through them, an exercising cord disposed through the holes, padding means encircling the wrist portion of the mitt, a longitudinal loop secured'to the outside of the wrist portion, and a belt disposed through the said loop and around the outside o'fthepadding and wrist portion for securing the mitt firmly to :the wrist of the patient without charlingfaridfto leavethewrist of the patient flexible.

,i .v-'eerences Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Mccaimont May 7,; 1907 

1. A HAND-RESTRAINING MITT FOR A PATIENT, THE MITT COMPRISING TWO SHEETS OF MATERIAL JOINED TOGETHER AROUND A PORTION OF THEIR EDGES TO FORM A FLAT POCKET PART OPEN AT A WRIST PORTION OF THE MITT TO RECEIVE THE HAND OF A PATIENT, MEANS CARRIED BY AT LEAST ONE OF THE SHEETS TO RIGIDIFY THE POCKET PORTION OF THE SAID ONE SHEET OVERLYING THE HAND OF THE PATIENT, THE WRIST PORTION OF THE SHEETS EXTENDING AWAY FROM THE POCKET PORTION AND BEYOND THE SAID RIGIDIFYING MEANS TO LEAVE THE WRIST PORTION OF THE MITT FLEXIBLE WITH RESPECT TO THE SAID RIGIDIFIED POCKET PORTION, THE SHEETS EACH HAVING AT LEAST ONE SEPARATE HOLE THROUGH THEM, AN EXERCISING CORD DISPOSED THROUGH THE HOLES, PADDING MEANS ENCIRCLING THE WRIST PORTION OF THE MITT, A LONGITUDINAL LOOP SECURED TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE WRIST PORTION, AND A BELT DISPOSED THROUGH THE SAID LOOP AND AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE PADDING AND WRIST PORTION FOR SECURING THE MITT FIRMLY TO THE WRIST OF THE PATIENT WITHOUT CHAFING AND TO LEAVE THE WRIST OF THE PATIENT FLEXIBLE. 